Dynamic Traffic Management Using Reinforcement Learning

Abstract

Traffic congestion has become a major problem in this rapidly growing world. Everyone operating a vehicle, as well as the traffic police in charge of managing the traffic, finds it difficult to become stuck in heavy traffic. For this a set, predetermined timing for traffic flow for each direction at the junction is utilized by traditional traffic light controllers. However, the concept of a fixed time traffic signal controller does not work well in places with uneven traffic. A dynamic traffic control system is therefore required, which regulates the traffic signals in accordance with the volume of traffic. This paper proposes a model that uses reinforcement learning (RL) along with deep neural networks (DNN) to manage discretions (signal status) for an environment with the help of Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO). A simulation of real-world environment consisting a network of Four-way crossroad junction that contains 4 arriving lanes and 4 exiting lanes is used to train the agent. The main objective of this research study is to construct a model that can independently determine the best course of action and aims to provide better traffic management that will decrease the average waiting time, cause lower congestion, and provide a smooth flow of traffic.